


'Stamp of Approval'

by lady_meatball



Series: Thanksgiving in Boston [7]
Category: American Actor RPF, Chris Evans (Actor) RPF
Genre: Domestic!Evans, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Gen, K C &the Sunshine Band, K&C
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 21:53:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8864182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lady_meatball/pseuds/lady_meatball
Summary: Black Friday dawns, and Chris and Katie both start the day off with a rude awakening. Lunch with their father is slow to start, and the arrival of Chris and Scott’s stepmom leads to tension. Chris has a surprise for Katie.
A huge thank you to my darling, @daisyjm75 for helping me brainstorm this piece, along with @ariallane and @mumbles411 for helping with bouncing ideas off of you!





	

**Author's Note:**

> Warning- anxiety/nervousness, attempted smut, mention of miscarriage

  * ## 

 

Visual inspo board [_**HERE**_](https://lady-meatball.tumblr.com/post/154186214155/visual-board-for-part-7-of-thanksgiving-in-boston)  


[Originally posted by freddyarenas](https://tmblr.co/Zjopfs17w3fCy)

_SPLAT_.

Jumping awake, I startled Chris, who in turn flinched and ended up kicking Dodger off the end of the bed on accident.

Another slushy _splat_ sounded against the window, followed by three muffled splats as they hit the side of the house.

“Gahddamnit…I’m sorry, buddy, come here.” Chris groaned lifting his head from the pillow to call Dodger back up onto the mattress; the dog’s head raised past the edge of the bed, his eyes practically narrowed in annoyance before snorting and jumping back up on the bed. He claimed a spot close to the wall, where he knew he wouldn’t get shoved off the bed so unceremoniously again.

“I take it the snow stuck then…” I yawned, rubbing my eyes. Chris flopped back down, stretching underneath the covers.

“Yeah. I was beginning to stick when I smoked before coming up to bed last night…ya know, as much as I love my brother, sometimes, I want to kill him…”

I couldn’t help the smile that spread over my face mid yawn.

“Said by everybody on the planet with siblings…” I chuckled before asking, “What time is it?”

Chris leaned back, his arm extending to lift the clock to meet his eye-line in the awkward position.

“Uhhhh, almost 9:45…time to get up if you want a shower and time to get ‘presentable’ to meet my father…” He moaned and groaned, setting the clock back on the stand. I began to sit up, but he wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me back into the warm cocoon of the bed linens and his body, whining, “Don’t leave yet-” His hairy face nuzzled into mine, kissing and nipping at my cheek, jaw and finally my lips as his hand skimmed down to my panties, pushing the material aside to trace the seam of my sex lightly. “-five more minutes? I promise I’ll make it worth your while…”

“Mmm-” I hummed, turning to face him; I lifted my leg to wrap around his hip, my arms weaving around him as I met his mouth for a hungry kiss, mumbling “-how can I say no to an offer like that?”

I could feel his smile spread over his face as the kiss deepened, neither of us caring in that moment about morning breath. Reaching my arm out behind him, I tried grabbing for the foil I was pretty certain rested on the edge of the little side table, but it was just out of reach. Pulling back only a hairsbreadth to whisper over Chris’ lips, I told him, “I can’t reach…you gotta grab one or roll over so I can…”

The grumpy expression as Chris rolled back once again had me snickering in my sleepy haze. An irritated snort left him when he rolled away completely, moving to get out of the bed; another series of _splats_ sounded against the house.

“What are you doing?” I asked, pulling the blankets up and around me. We had gone to bed dressed, but he eventually disengaged from my hold to strip down before finally crashing. Chris’s naked body was a glorious sight to behold, but in the morning light filtering through the blinds, it was exquisite seeing the movement of his muscles under his skin.

“Looking for the rubbers…” He said as he squatted next to the dresser, riffling through the black plastic bag from the porn shop but when he found the box, it was empty…causing me to snort out a laugh when he comically tipped it upside down and shook it, hoping some magic compartment hidden in the bottom of the box would release an extra rubber, like a hidden Cards Against Humanity card; standing, he walked back over to the nightstand, pulling the drawer, but didn’t find it there either. He took a second, mentally counting with aid of his fingers, if we had really gone through the whole box. “Son of a bitch…”

Apparently we had.

“You don’t have any?” I laughed; he glanced over at me sheepishly, shaking his head infinitesimally, ‘no’ before he seemed to remember something. He drew the blinds, unlocking the window and lifting it enough to poke his head outside while I burrowed further under the covers as the chilled air came rushing inside. I couldn’t stop myself from sniggering loudly as Chris let out a yelp.

“Scott…” He called, but a slushy _‘splat’_ cut him off as the runny snowball exploded around his face.

I burst out laughing, the sound of our assailants cracking up down in the backyard joining me as Chris lifted a hand to wipe his face and eyes free of the cold now running down off his face.

“Oh my God, are you okay?” I asked giggling from the behind my hands as well as the cocoon of blankets. Chris growled, glaring down at his brother as he flipped him the bird.

“That’s not vewy nice, Unca Chris!” I could hear Stella tell him.

“Yeah Unca Chris…that’s not very nice! And you might want to back up there, bro…I don’t want to see that show…what’d you want?” Scott laughed. I smiled as Chris bent and backed away from the window to keep his modesty in front of his niece and nephews.

“Ya know…at Walmart the other night…when you offered to help…” He started to say, but Scott’s laughs cut him off as I covered my face with a hand, shaking my head in disbelief he was really asking his brother for a condom right then and there.

“I thought you had that under control?” Scott’s cackling drifted up to the window.

“I did…I had it so well under control, that I don’t anymore…-” He admitted, his face screwed up, embarrassed. “-and well, I kinda need one…it’s an emergency.”

“No you don’t, because I’m getting up and getting in the shower…” I told him, sighing dejectedly as I forced myself out of the bubble of warmth the comforter gave. I raised an eyebrow in his direction, adding, “You asking your brother for a condom just killed the mood for me…how about a rain check for later? _AFTER_ you buy more rubbers.”

His face fell, pouting; turning to stick his face back out the window he grumbled, telling Scott, “Nevermind…I don’t need it anymore.”

Scott’s hearty laughter met my ears as Chris shut the window and I climbed out of bed, pulling on the little, thin robe I had brought with me so I could head to the bathroom to start getting ready.

Chris stepped to pull on a pair of underwear, making it known he was joining me. I cocked a hip out, resting my weight on one leg as my arms folded under my breasts; my eyebrow lifted high, questioning him.

“Umm, where do you think you’re going?” I asked rhetorically, knowing his intentions. He looked up, eyes wide.

“To…jump…in…the…shower…with…you?” He drawled, his voice slow as cold molasses, lifting to inflect the question mark at the end of his sentence as he stood and stepped close; extending my arm, I stopped him with my hand pressed to his chest. Another series of muffled splats sounded on the wall outside.

“No you’re not…you want one thing and one thing only right now, mister! And if you don’t have anything to wrap it up in, you’re not joining me…” I told him, shaking my head. “Give me twenty minutes, and the shower’s all yours.”

* * *

I didn’t take long, jumping in to wash quickly, knowing I didn’t have enough time to wash, dry and straighten my hair along with putting makeup on before we’d have to leave, so I’d freshen up my ‘do’ with a healthy dose of dry shampoo, grateful that I had had actually washed it the day before Thanksgiving. By the time I got out, dried off and had taken care of the usual hygiene rituals, my estimated twenty minutes was up and Chris was just walking up the stairs, a coffee mug in hand when I stepped out onto the landing, my t-shirt and panties in my hand along with my makeup bags containing my tools of the trade.

A low whistle came from his direction as he stepped up onto the second floor, shooting a lopsided grin at me as we met in the middle of the hallway. Extending his hand, Chris offered me the full mug of coffee.

“Ya know-” He began, voice low and full of promise, as I took the cup, lifting it to my lips for the first delicious sip, “-I could totally see you’re not wearing any underwear beneath that flimsy excuse of robe as I was walking up the stairs, right?”

Choking on my coffee, I snorted into the cup. Chris just threw his head back, laughing.

“I wasn’t expecting you or anyone else to be walking up the stairs right then and there…”

“It’s really short, babe…not that I’m complaining.” He said, a flash of mischievousness twinkling in his blue eyes and a devilish smile spreading over his face as he stepped into my body, arms snaking around my waist.

“Go take a shower…” I chuckled, trying without much effort to evade his affections as he chased my lips. Holding my cup in my left hand, my makeup bags pinned to my side by my arm, I used my right hand to playfully shove his shoulder telling him, “A **COLD** shower!”

* * *

Katie patted his chest, chuckling as she leaned forward to kiss him before disengaging from his hold and heading back to their room to get dressed and finish getting ready, leaving him to do the same. He took the last few remaining steps to the bathroom, slipping in and snicking the door shut behind him.

He knew it wouldn’t take long for the water to get hot, so he stripped out of the sweats and t-shirt quickly and brushed his teeth; seeing steam escaping the shower stall in the reflection of the mirror, he spit out the mouthful of toothpaste, rinsing and climbing into the shower.

The water was a shade past ‘too hot’ but the sting and burn felt glorious after the cold air on his naked skin earlier. Turning slowly, he let the water beat down on his body, stiff from sleeping and coiled tight thanks to the pent up sexual frustration.

He reached for the bar of white soap in the corner of the shower, turning in his hands a couple of times to start gathering lather before moving the bar over his arms, chest and torso, his free hand slipping low to grasp his semi-hard dick, stroking slowly while he leaned his shoulder against the tiled wall; he could feel himself grow in his hand as various flashes of past encounters between him and Katie flickered in his mind. 

Tilting his head back as a low moan rumbled through his chest, he remembered the first time he tugged off in the shower thanks to her…the night they had met, only a matter of hours after being introduced when he slipped off to one of Anna’s guestrooms and took the edge of the blazing tension, leaning on the wall of the shower stall beating off like he was back in junior high all over again. The memory brought a tiny smile to his face just as his hand squeezed along his length. With his confession the day before, he had been reflecting on just how soon after they had met his heart knew she was it, and had been planting the little images of what their future together could look like, almost all of them had her in various stages of pregnancy…just thinking of her round with their child, _his_ child…that was the little boost to his male pride, knowing that everybody would see _HIS_ woman growing with _HIS_ child and he could proclaim with an uncontainable smile and a protective hand rubbing that belly, _‘I did this…these are mine’_ and he could feel his climax approach with each pass, thinking about what they had to look forward to in the next year if everything went the way they hoped. The need reached max capacity shortly after and the relief of the first rope of cum spurted from him, splatting against the wall like the messy snowballs that marked the outside of the house in inconsistent explosions.

Gulping a deep breath, Chris opened his eyes as he rode out the aftershocks; the wall next to him was awash with the fresh designs his body painted, he took a moment to tilt his head back under the spray to wet his hair, before collecting water to wipe the evidence from the wall and get on with finishing his shower.

* * *

Walking out of the bathroom, Chris wore a towel wrapped around his waist; his left hand held the t-shirt and lounge pants he had put on to move about the house earlier, his thumb pushing the material further down his hip to secure it as he padded to the door of the room he and Katie shared, hearing Christmas music drifting through the cracked door before he pushed it open and found Katie sitting in the middle of the mattress, legs folded and her makeup bags dumped up in front of her…and Stella next to her with her own little play sets of makeup.

His breath caught in his chest seeing Katie showing his niece how to put makeup on like a big girl, doing a little bit of her makeup before picking up another one of her professional brushes to pat in the little square of eye shadow and brushing the pale shade over Stella’s closed eyes.

She caught him out of the corner of her eye, glancing over with a smile and a tiny wave of her fingers.

“Looks like our ‘Girl Time’ is over, Stella Bella…Uncle Chris just crashed the party.” Katie whispered dramatically, pointing to him in the doorway.

Stella turned around, facing him with an exasperated expression on her face before she exclaimed, “Unca Chris…put some clowes on!” Katie burst out laughing, doubling over as she lost it.

“Hey! You’re in my room, Tinkerbella…” Chris laughed, dropping his dirty clothes in the hamper as he cocked his amused smile at his niece and Katie behind her. “I wasn’t expecting to have company waiting in our room, babe…are you getting a lesson from Auntie, Stella?” Loving the sight before him, Chris stepped inside, moving to the closet to bend at the waist, not taking his eyes off them as he grabbed a pair of underwear from his suitcase.

“Yeah! She’s putting makeup on me wike Anna!” Stella exclaimed, her arms going high in the air as she looked back at Katie when she tapped her little leg to get Stella’s attention.

“Yup…come here, and let me give you some freckles, Princess Anna then you are…all…done!” Katie said, holding Stella’s little face in her hand to dot a brown liner over her nose and cheeks before leaning back and holding her own arms high with a flourish.

“What do you say?” Chris smiled, standing back up with a pair of socks, his jeans and the green Henley he decided to wear in his hands.

“Fank you, Kitty!” Stella grinned up at her, scrambling to her knees to throw her arms around Katie’s neck in a huge hug.

“You are most welcome, Sweetie…” She answered, hugging the little girl tight.

“Okay, Princess…I gotta get dressed so either skedaddle or close your eyes if you don’t want to end up in therapy with me footing the bill…” Chris called, his heart aching at the sight in front of him as he crossed to drop his clothes on the end of the bed. Katie leaned back, holding Stella at arm’s length to press her lips to the girl’s forehead.

“Okay pumpkin, we have to finish getting ready…”

“Where are we going?” She asked innocently, assuming she was going along for the adventure.

“ _YOU_ have play practice…Kitty, Uncle Scott and I are going to meet Grandpa for lunch.” Chris told her, his hands resting on his hips, holding the towel secure. “Come on, make a decision, Squirt…it’s cold in here.”

Stella stayed planted in Katie’s lap, so Chris blew out a martyred sigh as Katie grinned, covering Stella’s eyes so he could push the door shut and drop the towel to step into his briefs, adjusting quickly and indicating it was okay to remove her hand now that he was situated. Katie had watched him with warm eyes and her lip in her teeth, telling him she enjoyed the brief show and was looking forward to making good on her promise of picking up where they left off once they procured more condoms. Clearing his throat, Chris turned to hide the tent in the front of his Calvin’s by sitting to pull on his wool socks before getting the rest of his clothes on.

* * *

“Stahhhhhhp!” Chris said, his voice dragging out the vowel, and sounding adorable as his Bostonian accent slipped; he had reached over from the steering wheel to still my nervous fidgeting in the form of my leg bouncing and my fingers picking at my nails before lifting to my mouth to bite at my cuticles. “You look fine, I promise! You look beautiful, and there’s nothing for you to worry about…” he added, squeezing my wrist in reassurance, pulling my hand from my mouth to twine his fingers with mine.

“Yeah, it’s just the old man.” Scott piped up from the back seat. “Nothing to worry about, Kay.”

“This wasn’t how I wanted to meet your dad, Chris…” I sighed, glancing over at him briefly before looking straight out the windshield to watch the woodlands and fields dusted with the first snowfall go by as Chris drove on towards the town his father had settled into his new life with his second wife and three youngest kids along with their fourth baby, the practice as Chris and Scott had told me; they explained the easy stuff about the business, that a general dentistry practice had expanded into a ‘wellness’ center with multiple different facets all rooted in holistics. That wasn’t a new concept to me, much of the tiny town in the central Sierra Nevada’s I had spent a good portion of my life in shared similar ideals and was turning into a mountain haven for like minded people.

“You’re stressing out over nothing, babe…but if it will make you feel better, you can spring a surprise meeting on me when it’s time to meet your parents…” He told me, bringing my hand to his lips to kiss the back.

“You mean you haven’t met her folks yet? For shame, Chris!” Scott teased, reaching up to harass his older brother with a finger to the ear.

“You’ve already met my Dad…” I reminded him with a tiny smile trying to curl my lips.

“You know what I mean…” Chris said as his shoulder bunched high, attempting to block Scott from giving him anymore unwanted attention before adding, “No, when have I had any time to meet her family, bro? I started filming two weeks after we met!”

“When did you meet her Dad, bro?” Scott asked, leaning forward to poke his head into the front to look at both of us in turn.

“When he drove in, that week after we met…I have a portion of my Dad’s ashes in my living room, and another container surveying over my tiny little kitchen.” I explained.

“Well, that’s only a little bit morbid…” Scott said, sitting back into his seat.

“Not really…” I told him, turning to look back at him as I went on, “He loved to cook, my sister and I keep our portions in our kitchens because that’s where he would have wanted to be…my brother, well, his portions are on the mantelpiece in his living room but I think that’s because my sister-in-law wouldn’t let him keep him in their kitchen…”

I had been telling Scott about my siblings and their families when Chris turned off the main road, pulling into a parking space in front of CVS. Raising an eyebrow, I questioned him.

“Be right back…gotta take care of some important business for later.” He told me with a wink, grinning as he turned the ignition off, leaning over the center console to pinch my chin between his thumb and pointer finger for a smacking kiss. “Want anything while I’m in there?”

“A bottle of water, please.”

“I’ll take one too.” Scott said. Chris nodded, reaching back to open his door and a rush of cold air suddenly replaced our toasty cocoon of heated air inside the car.

“Be right back…” Chris told us, stepping out quickly and shoving the door shut. He adjusted his beat up ol’ Pats cap and zipped his jacket as he began walking to the front door of the store.

“He really loves you, ya know…I haven’t seen him act like this in years, Kay.” Scott spoke quietly from behind the driver’s seat; we both watched Chris disappear through the electric doors.

“I love him too, Scott…more than anybody else I’ve ever known.” I confessed, reaching back between the front seats to squeeze his knee. His hand rested on mine, giving me a reassuring squeeze of my own.

“I know I give you both a lot of shit…but, I’m really happy you’re in his life…hell, all of our lives!” He admitted, leaning forward to close the distance between us before going on, “It’s been a rough few years for him…it’s been more and more obvious that he wasn’t enjoying being in the spotlight, and with the drama over his relationships especially…he’s ready to settle down, and take a step back. He’s back to being himself with you, and he’s said you were worried about moving too fast, Kay, but…you two are fahking meant for each other.”

I had turned around in my seat, to properly look at Scott, unable to keep what his little speech was doing to me under control as my eyes watered up and my chin shook with my emotions.

“I’m really sorry that… _ya know_ …you had to go through that last week…”

“You can say ‘miscarriage’ Scott, I promise I won’t go off the deep end…” I reassured him.

“From the way Chris has been acting, I don’t want to cause more waves, or another blow up…” He chortled, flatly. “I’m sorry you went through that, I truly am…but I’m happy you’re gonna be my sister…and I want you to know that I’m really looking forward to the day you guys tell me I’m gonna be an uncle again.”

Smiling warmly at the thought, I patted his knee as movement at the door of the store caught my eye; Chris had just walked out of the doors and began walked back to the car. _‘With the way he was in and out, you would have thought he was about to get it in right then and there…’_ I laughed silently to myself.

“Believe me, Scotty, I’m looking forward to the day I can tell him he’s going to be a daddy…hopefully it won’t be that far off.” I said with a tiny smile as I watched Chris walk up to the door, and hurry to get back inside the cabin, knowing in only a matter of weeks we’d be trying to get pregnant on purpose.

The rustling of plastic filled the interior as he pulled two water bottles from the bag, handing them to me so he could fold the bag around the box of condoms and lean over to shove them into the glove compartment; I handed a bottle back to Scott as Chris sat back in his seat, starting the ignition and then we were off once more.

“Alright. We’re here!” Chris proclaimed a few minutes later, turning into the complex of buildings just off the main road. He steered the car around the buildings that peppered the complex, pulling into a space just in front of the doors that advertised his father’s business. Popping the car in park, he turned to me, as the sound of seat belts unbuckling filled the car. “You ready, babe?”

“Not really, but it’s now or never, right?” I sighed, plastering a nervous smile on my face just as the front doors of the building opened, and an older man stepped out, turning to lock the double doors before walking towards the car.

“You have nothing to be nervous about.” Chris told me, leaning over to peck my lips; Scott opening his door let a fresh blast of cold air in as he stepped out, calling to his father. The door slamming shut rocked the vehicle as Chris’ lips broke free of mine, whispering, “I love you…just be yourself, okay? I’m here, Scott’s here…and there’s an economy sized box of rubbers in the glove box for later…I promise, I’ll make it up to you, Beautiful. Let’s go meet your future father-in-law.”

* * *

Chris could tell Katie was nervous, he saw the worry behind her eyes as well as the way it barely lifted her eyebrows not to mention the awkward smile she wore as they climbed out of the car and joined Scott and their father at the front bumper.

“Chris!” his father called, holding his arms open for a hug which he obliged, stepping into his father’s arms for a tight embrace before stepping back to reach for Katie; she stood on the other side of Scott, slightly removed from the little knot of testosterone looking adorable in the heavy canvas jacket he had surrendered for her use while out in the cold air, not having packed anything heavier than sweatshirts for their trip. She wasn’t quite drowning in it, but it was a size or two too big, her fingertips poking out from the ends of the sleeves.

“Dad…I want you to meet my fiancee, Katie.” He beamed, pulled her closer to relinquish her hand to his father for introductions. “Kay, meet my dad, Bob.”

She shook back the cuff of the jacket, extending her hand to shake, “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Evans.”

“ _Dr_. Evans.” He corrected as he accepted her gesture, shaking her hand quickly. “It’s nice to finally meet the young woman I’ve been hearing so much about, you’ve got Chris, Scott and their sisters singing your praises.-” Chris noticed the blush coloring the tops of her cheeks as she ducked her face in embarrassment at the compliment. Bob looked between the three of them, adding, “Alright, let’s go get some lunch before my appointment shows up.”

Luckily, it was only a short walk and a couple of building over to the little cafe they would be eating at, allowing Chris to watch the interaction between Katie and his dad as they walked; he saw she had pulled the cuffs on his jacket closed to keep in her body heat, so he reached over, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to share his heat as she answered his father’s questions.

“How are you enjoying Massachusetts? Didn’t you tell me Katie came out for Halloween, Christopher?”

“She did. This is her second trip to Ma’s.” He said, holding her close as they crossed the parking lot.

“It’s great, sir. Reminds me of where I grew up, all the fields and historic buildings…” Katie spoke up, but his father cut her off.

“That’s nice…all right, so I’ve got a few appointments this afternoon and we won’t have much time to visit, boys…”

Feeling Katie deflate at the way his father interjected over her without letting her finish her answer, Chris knew she would start closing in on herself. She wasn’t exactly used to the New England way of getting straight to the point and stepping on somebody’s toes to do it, so he’d have to play interface and help her along with start subjects he when his dad would respond to through lunch. Turning his face, Chris pulled Katie’s neck to bring her face close, whispering as he kissed her temple, “Hey, it’s okay…trust me. He’s got a dozen things going on his head at a single moment, just like somebody else I know…just be yourself, he’ll love you, ‘cause I do.”

* * *

A little bell jingled over the door as they filed in out of the cold; a man smiled from behind the counter, calling a greeting to Bob before saying hello to the rest of their party and asking how many.

“Four. My sons came to visit me, and brought a friend along with them.”

Katie’s glance to Chris caught his eye, making his arm tighten around her shoulders, and causing him to lean in to whisper, “It’s okay…downplaying is a good thing remember?”

“If we’re downplaying ‘us’, maybe you shouldn’t have your arm around me or be whispering in my ear…” Katie shot back on her own hushed admission, making Chris chuckle softly pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Or kissing my cheek.”

Bob started up an easy conversation with the man, ordering his coffee and preferred meal, while Katie, Scott and Chris looked at the chalkboard overhead acting as menu.

“Oh man…” Katie said, talking from behind her steepled fingers, reading the offerings before she leaned her shoulder into Chris’ arm, whispering, “…an omelette sounds good, but that veggie wrap keeps calling to me…”

“Wanna split an omelette?” Chris smiled, looking over the hot sandwich side of the menu where the pastrami was doing the same to him. 

“How does a veggie omelette sound with bacon, feta, goat and Parmesan cheese sound?” She proposed, reading the available offerings for a ‘build your own’.

“Delicious, as always…let’s split that, and order what you want.” Chris told her, bopping the tip of his finger playfully to the end of her nose before turning to the man to order his coffee and sandwich.

* * *

“So, tell me about yourself, Katie…” Bob prompted, setting down his coffee cup in front of him. He sat back in his chair, looking across the table at me, waiting for me to start.

“Well-” I smiled on a deep exhale, glancing to Chris on my right; he sent a bolstering grin back at me, silently encouraging me to go on. “-what would you like know, sir?”

“Chris has told me the basics…you’re from California, you live in Las Vegas now…that you’re a makeup artist…”

“Umm…-” I sat in my seat, drawing a blank for information to give, so I just began spouting off what came to mind. “-I’m the youngest of four, my older siblings are from my dad’s previous marriage and I’m my mom’s only child. I was born in California, lived all over the northern half of the state, mountains, coast, the valley…I’ve got a bunch of nieces and nephews…”

“Where all in California? I spent sometime in Redwood City a _very_ long time ago…” Bob asked, apparently liking that starting point.

Turning to Chris, I chuckled, “What is it with you and your family and Redwood City? First Jules, now your dad?”

His mouth was curled into a happy grin, a sliver of teeth visible as he chuckled, lifting his cup for a sip of coffee.

“Like I said, all over! Born in Sacramento, spent the first few years in the foothills, close to where the Gold Rush started, then we moved further south along the Sierra’s after the Gulf War started and my parents jewelry store took a hit…eventually made our way to the central coast, the Santa Cruz area…spent some time in Fresno when my parents separated before moving back up to the foothills…” I explained, Bob took interest, coming out of the preoccupied daze he seemed to be in to pay attention as I explained, “I still have plenty of family back in Cali, haven’t really had time to visit, but we’re close.”

“Dad’s into history, you should tell him about your little Gold Rush town…” Chris said, nudging the conversation along between sips of his coffee.

“Which one, Chris? I’ve lived in a few and spent enough time in a lot of them that that term is pretty vague…” I teased. He snickered into his cup as I reached for my own to stir the creamer back into the liquid.

“The one you lived in last…with the Hotel.”

“You just want me to tell stories about the Mythbusters and Mark Twain.” I pointed out. Chris nodded, wiping his hand over his mouth while setting his cup back on the table. Rolling my eyes, I began explaining about the tiny little town I spent a good chunk of my life living in, talking about the famous figures from history that signed the ledger of the landmark hotel, recounting what I could remember of the history of Murphys and the surrounding areas.

“Wait…you mean to tell me, that for fun, you take a frog, you put it on a felt lily pad and you blow on it’s ass and harass it until it jumps three times, and whoever has the frog with the most distance wins? And that’s your county fair?” Scott asked, trying to wrap his head around the story I told.

Nodding, I smiled. “You can thank Mark Twain for that…”

“‘ _The Jumping Frog of Calaveras County_ ’ wasn’t it?” Bob asked, making sure it was the right title.

“Yeah, that was our claim to fame…that, and the largest gold nugget at the time was found in the quarry just past Angels Camp and coincidentally, that same quarry was a frequent haunt of the Mythbusters…they did a lot of their explosion myths there. The general rule was, if there was big ‘boom’ anywhere in the county, it was their fault.” I laughed. “It’s gone from sleepy little town to a little ‘Napa County’ in the last few years, tasting rooms everywhere! And people from the bay have cabins for summer and skiing…it’s becoming a haven for people that share your views on holistics and more natural lifestyles, sir.” I offered, testing the waters to see if that was the right path for me to get him to open up a bit more, to be a little bit more present and less preoccupied with whatever was whirring around in his head.

_‘I see where Chris gets it from now…’_ I thought to myself, observing that had indeed seemed to perk his ears up, causing Bob to ask more questions about the offerings my former hometown had to offer, settling me into a more easy frame of mind as our plates were brought out.

Smiling up at the man from behind the counter who was also our waiter, and the owner of the establishment Chris had pointed out, I offered my thanks as the plate containing my veggie wrap was sat in front of me, and the plate containing the custom omelette Chris and I planned on sharing followed, going between us. Chris’ pastrami sandwich was set down in front of him, and the owner moved on to serve Scott his loaded omelette and Bob with his vegetarian option. 

* * *

Walking back to the office, Bob had offered a tour of the facilities, telling Chris and Scott both that they had three visitors that had been eagerly awaiting their visit and would be arriving any moment; he unlocked the doors, ushering the three of them in before him, escorting Katie off to see all the different services offered at the Wellness Center.

“Well, she seems to have calmed down at least…” Scott pointed out with a chuckle; he crossed the reception area to claim a seat while they waited for the their stepmother and half siblings.

Chris blew out a heavy sigh, nodding as he walked over to the water cooler to snag a cup to drink. Tipping the little cup back, he caught the movement of a car pulling into space in front of the door. The back doors opened first, then the passenger seat followed by the driver’s door and the car emptied, three stair-step bodies running to the door, excitement apparent on their faces as they burst inside.

“Hey guys!” Chris smiled once he swallowed his mouthful of water; all three kids came barreling down on him, wrapping around his waist for hugs, their voices all competing to be heard as they called for his attention.

“What about me?” Scott called from the waiting area, arms held out to the sides in a shrug.

“Scott!” The pack untangled from Chris to pile on Scott as their stepmom pulled the door shut behind her, locking it before turning to face Chris.

“Hey Jean. How’ve you been?” He asked, crossing to open his arms for a hug; she stepped into his embrace for a quick exchange before leaning back to answer.

“Good…staying busy, ya know…” She offered, not really giving him an actual answer, but that hadn’t been anything new, she had always treated him and his siblings nice before but once she and his father had started a family of their own, she seemed to look at Chris, Scott and the girls as interlopers, threats to her life with their father and their young family. Stepping back, she looked around, no doubt expecting to find Dad and Katie, so she asked, “Where’s your father? And where’s this woman you brought with you?”

“My fiancee, you mean?” Chris leveled her with a look that advertised he had no patience for his stepmothers postering and defensive actions.

“So you’re engaged now? To the young woman you met on a podcast, the same one you practically fornicated with on air from what I gathered? That one?” She asked, apparently needing to clarify for her own sake.

“I’m engaged to a sweet, loving, and amazing woman, Jean. Yes, we met on Anna’s podcast, and yes, some very mature subjects were brought up and addressed…but it was love at first sight for me, and I’m not ashamed of the chemistry between us. _YOU_ of all people should know how that works…” Chris shot right back, eyebrow arching to emphasize his last sentence with a knowing tilt of his head. She bristled at that little dig.

“Chris…are you sure it’s love? Have you considered all the angles here? She’s a makeup artist, trying to make a name for herself…are you sure she isn’t…”

“She’s not using me for my fame, and I’ll appreciate it if you didn’t insinuate that ever again. She works hard at what she does, and while her business has picked up, it started with Anna’s promotions on her podcast over the summer. Katie doesn’t bring me up or advertise us, and yes, she’ll answer questions if she senses genuine people, and they aren’t being intrusive, but she’s more protective of my personal life than I am…I love her and she loves me, and we’re getting married.”

“Don’t get upset with me, I’m just making sure you’ve looked at this from every angle and thought through all the possibilities…just making my opinions known.” She said in a curt manner.

“Funny thing…I don’t remember asking for your opinion, Jean. In case you may have forgotten, I’m 35 years old, and have lived enough of my live to know what’s best for me…and that just happens to be the woman my father is showing around the office at the moment.-” He countered quietly, making sure to not draw attention from the kids as he made his point known, adding, “-You don’t get a decision in this, because I’m marrying her whether you like it or not. This trip wasn’t to earn your ‘stamp of approval’, it was the courtesy of introducing my future wife to the rest of her in-laws so we don’t show up on your front step one day and say ‘ _surprise, meet your new daughter-in-law, and oh, by the way…we’re expecting_ ’. This wasn’t for you…it was for her. I’m going to give that woman the world, because I love her, whereas you…I don’t owe you a damn thing.”

And with that admission, Katie and Chris’ father walked out of the dentistry offices to cross over to the spa and cafe sides of the building. Katie had been talking animatedly to his father, but as soon as she stepped foot onto the reception room carpet, she stopped, looking directly at Chris, her brow pinching as she caught the tension between him and his stepmom in that moment.

“Chris…everything okay, baby?” She asked softly, her face full of concern. And there is was, her ability to tell something wasn’t right with him…she had chalked it up to being ‘empathetic’ but all he knew was her finely honed bullshit detectors along with her ability to take a single glance in his direction and read him like a book were one of the things he loved and appreciated most about her.

The three younger Evans kids looked up, smiling and waving to their dad from the ‘puppy pile’ they had formed on Scott.

“Peachy keen, jelly bean…just saying hello, right Jean?” He looked over at her, standing next to his father, her body language finally looking relaxed enough to match the comfy clothes she wore-the heavier jacket she held in her arms, having taken it off now they were inside and warm, showing the black sweatshirt she wore, which had slipped off her right shoulder, the neon pink straps of her sports bra peeking out; her jeans were skin tight, showing off some of his favorite parts of her body before her boots capped the bottoms, her multi-colored wool socks barely visible behind the tops of the boot shafts.

“You must be Katie, I’ve been hearing _so_ much about you…” His stepmother spoke up, her smile just a tad forced, and her voice cool as she stepped away to offer her hand to shake. Katie shifted the jacket into one arm, extending her own take the one Jean offered. Chris noted her eyes narrow ever so slightly, and saw the barest steeling in her body language; he could all but hear the walls being erected, her own line of defense from the test his stepmother was administering.

“Oh…you must be Chris’ stepmom! Hello! It’s nice to meet you!” Katie said, a smile on her face as she waited, expecting Chris’ stepmom to introduce herself but when that proved to no be happening, she caught the little bodies squirming over Scott, his deep laughter punctuated by high pitched giggles as the younger girl and boy joined him when he landed a few tickles of his own in return. “And these must be…”

“Our children.” Jean confirmed. “Bob, let’s show Katie the rest of the facility together…let the boys get some time with their siblings…”

* * *

“Well, _THAT_ was _interesting_ …” I stated, buckling my seat belt once we were secure in the car and Chris started the ignition. “Is she always like that?”

“She was in rare form today, that’s for sure.” Scott added, reaching forward to pat me on the shoulder.

“I don’t know what bug got up her ass, but normally, she’s not that bad…I’m sorry, babe. I wasn’t expecting Jean to show up…” Chris apologized, turning in his seat to back out of the parking spot, but not before offering me a sad, lopsided grin.

“It’s fine.” I told him, wiggling further into my seat. “Your dad was nice, reserved…I see where you get that pensive, thoughtful side from, Chris, but Scott on the other hand…”

“Hey!”

Chris laughed out loud as he checked the street, merging out onto the main thoroughfare through the little town to head south, back to Sudbury. “Nah…Scotty doesn’t know the meaning of ‘reserved’…”

“Just loud, louder, and ‘oh my God, somebody shut him up!’” I laughed over my shoulder into the backseat.

“You’re lucky I love you, brat…” Scott shook his head with a chuckle as he leaned forward to lightly shove me shoulder affectionately.

“I love you too, Scotty.” I smiled. Turning back to Chris, I asked, “Can we make a stop for coffee? I’m cold and I have to pee…”

“Why didn’t you go at the office?” Chris asked, exasperation apparent in his voice and face when he glanced over at me. I raised my eyebrows, tilting my head.

“Because I didn’t want to hang around any longer than we absolutely had too…the unending stalking your stepmother was doing around me wasn’t exactly my idea of fun. Just pull over at Dunkin’ and I’ll buy you both coffee, ‘kay?” I said, crossing my legs to help give me a few extra minutes until Chris pulled over into the little shopping center on the way out of town.

* * *

Walking out of the restroom with an empty bladder, I sighed happily as I approached Chris and Scott.

“Better?” He asked, amused at the blissful look on my face when I smiled and nodded.

“Good, now give me the key…” Scott said, snagging the bathroom key from my hand and taking off to relieve himself.

“You know what he wants, right?” I asked, my thumb hooked over my shoulder as I watched Scott walk away.

“He’s boring, like me…just a plain ol’ black cup of coffee.”

“Okay…come on, let’s go order our boring ol’ cups of coffee and get back on the road.” I smiled, slipping my hand along the inside of his arm with a small tug and a tilt of my head.

Luckily there was almost no line in the early afternoon hour; I ordered my extra large coffee, with  extra cream, pumpkin and caramel brulee before moving so Chris could order the two large black coffees, one with an added shot.

“Oh! Extra shot in mine too, please!” I piped up, digging for my wallet in my purse. “And…let’s get some donuts for the road…”

“You just ate lunch!” Chris barked.

“Shut up and pick out your donut. We ran out of there before I had a chance to buy that almond croissant I was eyeballin’.” I answered, knocking into his shoulder. “I’ll take a maple bacon bar…not filled.” I added, making a disgusted face as the thought of ruining a perfectly good raised doughnut with custard.

“You’re weird-” He directed at me before ordering, “-let’s get a Bavarian Kreme for Scotty and I’ll take a Boston Kreme…oh! With sprinkles.”

“You East Coasters are the weird ones…custard is disgusting!” I spouted off, a shiver running through me at the memory of surprise mouthfuls of the stuff in doughnuts that hadn’t been marked. “Just make it a half dozen, let’s get two of each. It’s cheaper that way.”

Chris shook his head, smiling to himself as the cashier tendered the transaction and handed over my change before turning to gather our doughnuts and prepare our coffees. Stepping back, he led me over to the condiment counter, his left hand rising to push a strand on hair off my face.

“When we get back to Ma’s, we gotta pack up.”

“No we don’t. Did you forget what day it is? It’s only Friday, Chris…we leave Sunday!” I reminded him, lifting my hand to push under the front panels of his jacket, and into his flannel; resting my hand over the cotton Henley covering his chest, I patted him over the heart.

“I know it’s Friday. I have a surprise for you…” He grinned as he leaned down to press a kiss to my lips quickly.

“Why am I not surprised?” I sighed, shaking my head in bemusement but a tiny smile curled my lips, advertising that I was softening from my resistance of Chris spoiling me with whatever it was now.

He chuckled softly as he pulled back, his fingers pushing the loose hair behind my ear.

“Because it’s me, and I think we need some alone time…just you and me. It’s been a helluva long week…” He told me, pushing the bill of his cap up with his right hand, allowing me to see the serious, somber expression we wore, his eyes tinged with a hint of sadness at thinking back to the beginning of this visit.

“The last two weeks…” I corrected, ducking my head and nodding. Chris’ finger connected with my chin, lifting my face to look at him.

“The last two weeks have been Hell…” He agreed quietly, his thumb rubbing over my chin and bottom lip slowly before he went on, explaining, “After you told me…after we made the marker, I called and managed to get a hotel room for tonight and tomorrow back in town… I figure we can grab dinner and be bums tonight, then if you’re feeling up to it tomorrow, I’ll show you around Boston.”

“Chris, I love your family…-”I whispered, my free hand lifting to push his jacket aside and mirror my other hand, resting on his chest. “-but that sounds perfect. Just you…me…robes…”

“And a brand new economy sized box of condoms.” He snickered, pushing his cap up far enough to lean his forehead to mine, eyes dancing.

* * *

“What do you mean you’re leaving? I thought you were staying the whole week, Chris?” Lisa asked as Chris came down the stairs with his and Katie’s suitcases.

“We’re headed back to Boston for a couple of nights, just us, Ma…” Chris told her, stepping down from the bottom step and pausing to look at her. “We just need some time by ourselves, especially after what happened. It’s nothing any of you guys did, this was my decision. Kay didn’t even know about it until today when I told her on our way back from seeing Dad.”

“I understand…I just wasn’t ready for you two to be leaving yet.” Lisa confessed, her hand extending to caress her oldest son’s face lovingly. Her expression grew sad as she asked, “What would you like me to do with the marker, Chris? Is there somewhere you want me to put it for now?”

Drawing a deep breath, Chris looked up, his eyes pointed at the ceiling in the direction of his old room.

“Upstairs, in my old room…or display it, just keep it safe, please.” He sighed; the sound of the bathroom door overhead closing told him Katie was on her way to join him so they could say their farewells and get back on the road.

“Of course, sweetheart. Even though the week started off the way it did, I’m glad you two are taking the next steps…in moving on as well as growing together. I’m sure your father had a few things to say…”

Chris breathed a sigh of relief when footsteps descended the staircase.

“Got everything, babe?” He asked, avoiding his mother’s question about the meeting; she just raised a brow, leveling him with a knowing look.

“Yes, you almost left your toothbrush in the bathroom and forgot another charger cord in your room…I swear, I don’t know how you manage when I’m not with you…” Katie chuckled, holding up both items with a grin as she came down the last few steps.

“Very poorly, if at all.” He told her with his own answering smile. “You ready to say ‘bye and get going?”

“Why are you in such a rush? It’s barely 3 PM.” She asked, his mother echoing her sentiments.

“I have a little something I wanted to do on our way in, and we’re going to be cutting it close as it is…plus, by the time we get into town, it’ll be rush hour.”

Katie’s eyes narrowed as she looked at him.

“What’s that look for?” He asked, fighting back a chuckle.

“Because you’ve got more planned than you’re telling me…I thought we were going to be lazy bums and vegetate in hotel robes?” Katie responded, one brow raising her forehead high as she looked up at him from her bent position to stow away his nearly forgotten items in her purse.

“We’re still going to do that, I just…had an idea.” He smiled. Lisa’s face wore a wide grin as she watched them interacting.

“Of course you did…and what might your brilliant idea be, my love?” Katie laughed but it was one of exasperation, her eyes rolling dramatically as sher head cocked to the right.

“I was going to say, ‘let’s go take the tour at Sam Adams’, but like I said…we’re cutting it close. If we don’t go this trip, you wanna go later?”

Katie was still for a whole two seconds, frozen in her bent position before she looked up, meeting Chris’ smile with one of her own as she stood back to full height.

“I like Sam Adams…” She stated quietly, telling him she was okay with his proposed idea; Chris tilted his head forward, laughing softly.

“I know you do…that’s why I brought it up.” He chuckled, leaning forward to cup his hand around Katie’s chin, pulling her forward to meet him for a quick peck. “So, the sooner we say ‘bye, the sooner we get on the road…the sooner we get to beer. It’s a little out of the way, so we gotta hurry up if we’re gonna get there before they close! Come on, chop chop!” He leaned back, dropping his hand from Katie’s face to clap, emphasizing the end of his sentence along with his excitement.

Turning to Lisa, Katie shook her head, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

“You know your oldest son is a big, hyperactive Golden Retriever puppy, right?”

His mom just nodded, her grin huge as she answered.

“I’m well aware of that, dear…but he’s your puppy now.”

“Well, thanks for house training him…for the most part.” Katie laughed, setting her purse next to the suitcases before turning to head towards the kitchen to start the farewells.

“Hey! One time!” Chris exclaimed loudly, following his fiancee and mother down the hall, hand held aloft as he added, “I left the seat up **ONE** time…”

* * *

Saying goodbye and getting out the door proved harder than we thought. Shanna and Carly were upset at not getting any ‘real’ time to spend with me, Scott and Ryan, along with Shanna’s boyfriend had been looking forward to a pickup game of basketball with Chris and a few of their long time friends that had come back into town…and the kids…the kids whined and pouted, verging on the edge of tantrums and fits over us leaving early. It was almost 4:30 by the time we managed to make it to the car, exhausted and glad to just be the two of us for the next two nights.

“Well, Tinkerbell…looks like we won’t make the brewery tour tonight.” Chris apologized as he drove, pulling up to a stop sign to merge back onto the country highway that would take us back to the Turnpike and eventually, Boston. “Or should I call you Drinkerbell?” He smiled, looking over at me as he checked cross traffic; his blue eyes glittered, glancing down at the sweatshirt draped over my lap. Scott had pulled me to a stop as we left the house, telling me he had a present for me, but since we were leaving earlier than anticipated, he didn’t have it wrapped; he held up a navy blue crew neck sweatshirt with a white cut out of Tinkerbell holding a beer with hiccup bubbles and ‘Drinkerbell’ emblazoned over her. He had whispered in my ear after kissing my cheek, “You’re not going with us this trip, but you’ll need one of these eventually…I’m drafting you onto my ‘team’ for ‘Drink Around the World’ next time…”

“I think he likes me.” I smiled, tracing my fingers over the cut out.

“He loves you. They all do, I’ve been telling you that since the first night of your visit for Halloween.” Chris said, as he turned back onto the Post Road, relaxing back into his seat, his eyes flicking up to the mirror to check before reaching his hand over to twine with mine in my lap.

“Your dad warmed up to me, thankfully…” I pointed out.

“I wasn’t worried that he _wouldn’t_. You said it, he’s quiet, reserved, and usually in his own head…totally where I get it from.” Chris admitted, squeezing my hand before adding, “You got him out of his head with history, and once he saw you have some similar interests, he opened up and got invested…he likes you.”

“Your little sisters and brother were cuties…” I smiled, lifting my right hand to rest on top of his, enveloping him. Avoiding the subject of his stepmom seemed to be an unconscious decision on both our parts, which I was glad for, not wanting to spend more energy on her than we both had earlier.

“It’s weird, having them be so much younger than us but so close in age to Carly’s kids. Like, I don’t exactly feel like brother, but I also don’t feel like an uncle…” Chris confessed, turning to look at me briefly.

“I know how you feel…I felt like that about my nieces, my oldest nieces, Babe. I’ve got one almost exactly two years older than me, one four months younger and one two and half years younger than me…it was so incredibly weird, growing up and having them call me ‘Auntie’. It felt more like we should be cousins, not aunt and nieces…I honestly didn’t feel like one until my nephews came along and there was a substantial age gap there. To this day, my oldest nieces and I act more like cousins than anything else, you’ll see that when you meet them.”

“Ya know, sometimes it hits me, just how much alike we are, and it scares me but at the same time, it also makes me laugh, babe…”

“It’s ‘cause you’re my lobster, and my missing puzzle piece…” I told him, turning to grin at him in the low light of dusk. My stomach rumbled and growled at the mention of lobster, and I groaned. Chris raised a brow, his cap lifting thanks to the movement when he glanced over to me from the road ahead of him.

“Are you seriously hungry again?” He asked on a laugh, almost incredulous as he went on, “Are you sure you’re not pregnant still?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it, I could tell. He swallowed hard, pulling his hand from mine to grip the steering wheel tightly while I could see him start to draw in on himself.

“I’m sorry. I know…I didn’t mean…I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” He whispered, voice flat; he stared ahead, eyes only briefly flicking between the mirrors. Reaching over, I wrapped my fingers around his thick wrist, drawing it back over the center console to hold in my lap as I leaned to rest my head on his shoulder.

“I know.” I whispered, rubbing my right hand along the inside of his arm while my left hand was locked in his right. “I’m not hungry per se, just…’lobster’ had me thinking of being here in New England, New England made me think of Clam Chowder…chowder has me thinking about bread bowls…Pavlov’s Dog reaction. You know how I am, I think with my stomach.” I explained, sad in the realization that he was still internalizing a lot in regards to grieving, acceptance, and everything else that went hand in hand with the loss of my pregnancy. Lifting my head from his shoulder, I asked, “Can we get dinner somewhere I can get real, legit ‘made in New England’ clam chowder? So I can scratch that off my foodie bucket list?”

“You want chowda?” He asked, resting his cheek on the top of my head. “Do you want the touristy, on the wha’f experience, or do you want chowda from a Boston institution of fresh seafood? I mean, I know how you Californians like to do things in San Francisco…” He teased, his accent slipping as he busted my chops playfully, the smile evidence in his voice as he took my cue that his slip was alright.

“You shithead…” I blurted, letting go of his hand to tickle his side. His squirming had affected his driving, so I stopped. Looking at his profile, I told him, “I want good chowder, in a sourdough bread bowl. Those are my only requirements.”

“Fahking wierdo, ruining good chowda…” He grinned, looking at me from the corner of his eye. “First lesson if we’re turning you into a good Massachusetts transplant…certain wo’ds, you gotta say certain ways…like chowda. It’s ‘chowda’ not ‘chowder’…you weirdos from San Fran got it all wrong. Repeat after me, babe…’CHOW-DAH’.”

Blinking at him, I felt a shit eating grin spread over my face at his attempt to finesse the little bit of an accent I picked up while with him; it lingered a couple of days after I’d arrive back home, but he pointed it out on the phone after my first trip to his mom’s house, when it was strongest. Playing along, I repeated his prompt.

“Chow. Duh.” I said, enunciating the syllables with an amused grin.

“Excellent. Now, tell me…what you want for dinna again?” He was laying it on thick for me, knowing I loved listening to him when he spoke with his natural Bostonian drawl.

“Clam chowder.” I laughed, leaning back into my own seat.

“Nooo!” He laughed. “Come on, babe…we’re gonna do this all night, until you get it right. Say it with me, ‘chowda’…”

“Chowder.”

“Noooooo…” He whined, letting a phlegmy sound rumble through his throat as he tipped his head back to let out a frustrated chuckle. He knew I was messing with him just as much as he was messing with me, but this was our way of bonding on the dive back into town and we both loved every minute of it.





End file.
